Intraocular lens insertion device

ABSTRACT

There is provided an intraocular lens insertion device capable of appropriately regulating the motion of a rear supporting portion during a process of moving an intraocular lens, and reducing the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens is inserted into an eye. An intraocular lens insertion device  1  comprises a main body  2 , and a slider  3  and a plunger  4  that are attached to the main body  2 . Further, the intraocular lens insertion device  1  is of a preset type in which an intraocular lens  5  is placed inside the main body  2  in advance. The slider  3  includes a first abutting portion  21  for pushing up a supporting portion  7  (rear supporting portion  7   a ) arranged on a rear side of an optical part  6  with respect to a lens advancement axis A, and second abutting portions  22   a,    22   b  abutting against an outer edge of a rear portion of the optical part  6.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/099,989, filed Dec. 8, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,655,718, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/143,322, filed Jul. 5, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,603,103, which is a U.S. national phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2010/050029 filed Jan. 5, 2010, which claims priority to Japanese patent application No. 2009-001493, filed Jan. 7, 2009. The International Application was published in Japanese on Jul. 15, 2010 as International Publication No. WO 2010/079780A1. The content of each application is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an intraocular lens insertion device for inserting an intraocular lens into an eyeball as a substitute of a crystalline lens exenterated through cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND ART

Cataract surgery often involves removing an opacified crystalline lens through phacoemulsification (PEA), and implanting an intraocular lens after the crystalline lens has been removed. Intraocular lenses include hard intraocular lenses whose optical parts are made of hard materials such as PMMA or the like, and soft intraocular lenses whose optical parts are made of soft materials such as silicon elastomer, soft acrylic, hydrogel or the like.

When inserting a hard intraocular lens, there has to be formed on the cornea or the sclera an incision substantially as wide as the diameter of the optical part of the corresponding hard intraocular lens. In contrast, a soft intraocular lens can be inserted through an incision smaller than the diameter of the optical part thereof by allowing the corresponding optical part to be folded.

An intraocular lens is preferably inserted through a small incision in order to reduce the possibilities of corneal astigmatism and infection after the surgery. In this sense, soft intraocular lenses tend to be preferred nowadays. Types of soft intraocular lens include: a soft intraocular lens having an optical part made of a soft material and supporting portions made of a hard material such as PMMA or the like (the supporting portions of this type of intraocular lens are usually two thin filamentary members); a soft intraocular lens whose optical part and supporting portions are made of a same soft material (the supporting portions of this type are usually plate members); or a soft intraocular lens employing a plurality of thin strips as supporting portions, and the like.

Further, in order to insert an intraocular lens into an eye, there has also been used a dedicated intraocular lens insertion device having a structure for introducing the intraocular lens into the eye through an elongated tube. This type of intraocular lens insertion device allows an intraocular lens to be inserted through an incision smaller than 3 mm.

Furthermore, in recent years, there has been developed a type of intraocular lens insertion device which has an intraocular lens placed therein in advance and can be packaged and stored, in order to exclude the possibilities of bacteria contamination and errors in operation at the time of handling the intraocular lens (e.g., patent document 1).

However, this type of intraocular lens insertion device may cause a supporting portion (referred to as a rear supporting portion, hereunder) arranged on a rear side with respect to a lens advancement axis to slip in between a plunger for pushing out the intraocular lens and a passage inner wall surface of the insertion device, or be tangled with the corresponding plunger, during a process of moving the intraocular lens. These problems are particularly noticeable with soft intraocular lenses employing thin filamentary members as supporting portions and intraocular lenses employing thin strips as supporting portions.

Further, this type of intraocular lens insertion device may cause the rear supporting portion to be stretched during the process of moving the intraocular lens. Accordingly, the corresponding rear supporting portion may then be left outside an eye ball at the time of performing insertion through a small incision on the eyeball, thereby requiring an additional operation for inserting such rear supporting portion into the eye ball after pushing out the intraocular lens with the plunger, and thus making the surgery troublesome.

In this sense, when using an intraocular lens insertion device to insert an intraocular lens into an eye, the motion of the rear supporting portion of the intraocular lens has to be appropriately regulated during the process of moving the intraocular lens.

In view of the aforementioned problems, there has been disclosed a device in which a clearance is formed on a front end side portion of a plunger, for allowing the rear supporting portion to be kept therein and thus preventing the same from being damaged (e.g., patent document 2). Further, there has been disclosed a device in which a rear supporting portion receiving passage for receiving the rear supporting portion is provided on a lower side portion of a plunger (e.g., patent document 3). Furthermore, there has also been disclosed a device in which the rear supporting portion is pushed up on a lump portion by means of a plunger, thereby allowing the corresponding haptic to be bended upward and eventually positioned higher than an IOL (e.g., patent document 4). Accordingly, all the devices disclosed in the aforementioned patent documents serve to reduce holding pressures applied to the rear supporting portions of intraocular lenses employing thin filaments or strips as supporting portions.

REFERENCE

Patent document 1: WO2007/037223

Patent document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 1999-506357

Patent document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,507

Patent document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-351196

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

However, according to the patent documents 2 and 3, the rear supporting portion received in the clearance formed on the front end side portion of the plunger and in the rear supporting portion receiving passage is stretched, thereby still incurring a problem in which the corresponding rear supporting portion may be left outside a small incision formed on an eye ball when inserting an intraocular lens therethrough. Particularly, with regard to intraocular lenses employing thin strips as supporting portions, reoperation is often troublesome because the corresponding supporting portions are composed of soft members that are thick in sizes. Further, according to the patent document 4, the supporting portion is pushed by a small plunger front end matched to a nozzle front end with a small aperture diameter, thus causing the rear supporting portion to be compressed into an unexpected shape when bending the supporting portion upward so as to position the same higher than an optical part or when allowing an intraocular lens to pass through a passage.

Here, in view of the aforementioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an intraocular lens insertion device capable of appropriately regulating the motion of a rear supporting portion during a process of moving an intraocular lens, and reducing the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens has been inserted into an eye.

Means for Solving the Problem

The invention according to a first aspect of the present invention is an intraocular lens insertion device comprising: a lens placement section for placing an intraocular lens having an optical part and one or more supporting portions provided on an outer edge of the optical part; a transition section for deforming the intraocular lens; a nozzle section for releasing the intraocular lens; a slider for pushing out the intraocular lens placed in the lens placement section; and a plunger for releasing the intraocular lens pushed out by the slider from the nozzle section, in which the slider includes: a first abutting portion for pushing up a supporting portion disposed in a rear direction of a lens advancement axis; and one or more second abutting portions abutting against an outer edge of a rear portion of the intraocular lens.

According to the invention described in a second aspect of the present invention, the second abutting portions are provided outside the first abutting portion with respect to the lens advancement axis.

According to the invention described in a third aspect of the present invention, the first abutting portion slants downward in a lens advancement direction.

According to the invention described in a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the second abutting portions includes: an x-direction abutting surface substantially perpendicular to a surface of the optical part; and a y-direction abutting surface substantially parallel with the surface of the optical part.

The invention according to a fifth aspect of the present invention comprises a guiding portion for guiding the outer edge of the optical part to the second abutting portions.

According to the invention described in a sixth aspect of the present invention, the second abutting portions are provided as a left-right pair centered about the lens advancement axis.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, the first abutting portion provided on the slider serves to push up the supporting portion arranged on the rear side with respect to the lens advancement axis, thereby allowing the motion of the rear supporting portion to be appropriately regulated during the process of moving the intraocular lens, and thus reducing the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens is inserted into the eye.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall structure of an intraocular lens insertion device of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a slider of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the structure of the slider of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a usage state (1) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a usage state (2) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a usage state (3) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a usage state (4) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 7A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 7B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a usage state (5) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 8A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 8B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a structure of a slider of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a usage state (1) of an intraocular lens insertion device of the second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 10B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a usage state (2) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 11A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 11B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing a usage state (3) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 12A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 12B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a structure of a slider of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a structure of a plunger of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing a usage state (1) of an intraocular lens insertion device of the third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 15B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing a usage state (2) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 16A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 16B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are diagrams showing a usage state (3) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 17A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 17B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing a usage state (4) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 18A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 18B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing a usage state (5) of the intraocular lens insertion device of the third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 19A is a cross sectional top view, and FIG. 19B is a longitudinal sectional view.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 1. First Embodiment

(1) Basic Structure

An embodiment of the present invention is described hereunder in detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An intraocular lens insertion device 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a main body 2, and a slider 3 and a plunger 4 that are attached to the main body 2. The intraocular lens insertion device 1 is of a preset type in which an intraocular lens 5 is placed inside the main body 2 in advance. Here, the intraocular lens 5 includes an optical part 6 and a pair of supporting portions 7 (or “haptics”) provided on an outer edge of the optical part 6. As the supporting portions 7, there can be employed various types of members including, for example, members of a thin strip type.

In the following descriptions, an axis extending through the center of the intraocular lens 5 moving inside the main body 2 is referred to as a lens advancement axis A. Further, a direction to which the intraocular lens 5 moves is referred to as an “advancement direction x,” and a downward direction is referred to as a “direction y.”

The main body 2 is composed of a base end portion 8 and an insertion tube 9 connected to a front end of the base end portion 8 in the advancement direction x. Although not shown, a lens placement section made of a plate type member is formed on the front end of the base end portion 8 in the advancement direction x. The intraocular lens 5 is placed in the corresponding lens placement section. On side surfaces of the base end portion 8, there are provided slits 12 formed in parallel with the lens advancement axis A and extending to the front end of the base end portion 8. Further, the insertion tube 9 is integrally connected to the front end of the base end portion 8, thereby allowing the intraocular lens 5 placed in the lens placement section of the base end portion 8 to be disposed internally.

The insertion tube 9 comprises a transition section 10 and a nozzle section 11 that are successively disposed along the lens advancement axis A. The transition section 10 is formed into a tapered shape in which an inner wall of the transition section 10 tapers toward a front end thereof, such front end being further communicated with the nozzle section 11. The nozzle section 11 is so formed that an outer shape thereof can be inserted into an incision (not shown).

According to this intraocular lens insertion device 1, the intraocular lens 5 placed in the lens placement section is at first moved to the transition section 10 after being pushed out by the slider 3, thereby allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be reliably folded into a given shape. Next, the intraocular lens 5 is further moved to the nozzle section 11 after being pushed out by the plunger 4, thereby causing the intraocular lens 5 to be folded even smaller, and thus allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be inserted into an eye from a front end of the nozzle section 11. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertion device 1 allows the intraocular lens 5 to be moved in the advancement direction x in two stages involving successively the slider 3 and the plunger 4, thus causing the intraocular lens 5 to be folded into a given shape and releasing the same to the outside.

(2) Structure of Slider

Next, the slider 3 attached to the main body 2 is described. As shown in FIG. 2, the slider 3 servers to push out the intraocular lens 5 placed in the lens placement section to the transition section 10 without imposing a local load thereon, and fold the intraocular lens 5 into the given shape. The slider 3 includes a guiding groove 15, a wing portion 16, operation portions 17 and a lens pressing member 18.

The guiding groove 15 is so configured that the plunger 4 can be supported thereby along the lens advancement axis A. Specifically, the guiding groove 15 allows the plunger 4 to slide, and a front end of the plunger 4 to protrude from a front end of the slider 3. According to the present embodiment, the guiding groove 15 is longitudinally formed over an entire length of a surface of the slider 3 in a manner such that the guiding groove 15 is substantially located in the center of the surface of the slider 3. Accordingly, the guiding groove 15 serves as a groove parallel to the lens advancement axis A. A cross-sectional surface of the guiding groove 15 is substantially formed into a same shape as an outer shape of the plunger 4. A wedge guiding path 15 a is formed on a base end of the guiding groove 15. In this way, the plunger 4 is allowed to be inserted into the guiding groove 15 formed on the slider 3, and slide within the guiding groove 15 in a longitudinal direction of the slider 3.

The wing portion 16 is inserted into the slits 12 provided on the main body 2, and serves to support the slider 3 along the lens advancement axis A. By inserting the wing portion 16 into the slits 12, the slider 3 is allowed to not only be held in a substantial center portion of the main body 2, but also move along the lens advancement axis A. In this sense, the plunger 4 can also be held in the center portion of the main body 2 and move along the lens advancement axis A, when inserted into the guiding groove 15 formed on the slider 3. The slider 3 can be easily moved by means of the operation portions 17.

The operation portions 17 are provided as a left-right pair centered about the lens advancement axis A. Further, the operation portions 17 are connected to side end portions of the wing portion 16, and protrude from each side of the base end portion 8.

The lens pressing member 18 serves to fold the intraocular lens 5 in a given direction by pressing a surface of the intraocular lens 5 only when the intraocular lens 5 is being pushed out. According to the present embodiment, the lens pressing member 18 serves to press a surface of the intraocular lens 5 to the direction y, thereby causing the intraocular lens 5 to be folded inside the nozzle section 11 with the foregoing surface being folded inwardly, such surface being a front surface when releasing the intraocular lens 5 into the eye. The lens pressing member 18 is made of a strip type member provided on the front end of the slider 3, and is capable of swinging freely to the direction y.

In addition to the structure described so far, the slider 3 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, further includes a first abutting portion 21 for pushing up a supporting portion 7 arranged on a rear side with respect to the lens advancement axis A with respect to the optical part 6 (referred to as a rear supporting portion 7 a, hereunder), and second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b abutting against a rear outer edge of the optical part 6.

The first abutting portion 21 has a slanting surface formed in the center of the front end of the slider 3 and slanting toward a direction between the advancement direction x and the direction y. The guiding groove 15 is opened in the center of the first abutting portion 21, and a front end of the plunger 4 is thus allowed to protrude from the guiding groove 15 in the advancement direction x. Further, restriction portions 23 are formed on front ends of the first abutting portion 21. The restriction portions 23 serve to prevent the rear supporting portion 7 a from entering in between the slider 3 and the main body 2 and thus being damaged, as the rear supporting portion 7 a deforms in the direction y. According to the present embodiment, the restriction portions 23 protrude from lower ends of the slanting surface to the advancement direction x.

The second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b are respectively provided on both sides of the first abutting portion 21, and are configured to be able to abut against the outer edge of the optical part 6 of the intraocular lens 5. According to the present embodiment, the second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b protrude from the front end of the slider 3 to the advancement direction x, and at least 22 a is allowed to abut against, along the lens advancement axis A, an outer edge of a section of the optical part 6, such section of the optical part 6 being located outward from a connecting portion of the supporting portion 7 and the optical part 6.

Further, the second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b have x-direction abutting surfaces 24 and y-direction abutting surfaces 25. The x-direction abutting surfaces 24 are perpendicular to a surface of the optical part 6, and are thus capable of pushing out the outer edge of the optical part 6. The y-direction abutting surfaces 25 are parallel with the surface of the optical part 6, and are thus able to restrict a surface of the optical part 6 in the vicinity of the outer edge thereof from being valley folded before the rear supporting portion 7 a has been sufficiently deformed.

As described above, according to the intraocular lens insertion device 1 of the present embodiment, the first abutting portion 21 and the second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b are provided on the slider 3 allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be in contact therewith through a contact area larger than that of the plunger 4. Accordingly, the motion of the rear supporting portion 7 a can be appropriately regulated during the process of moving the intraocular lens 5. Further, there can be reduced the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens 5 is inserted into the eye.

(3) Operation and Effect

According to the intraocular lens insertion device 1 having the aforementioned structure, the intraocular lens 5 is placed internally in a manner such that the optical part 6 thereof is arranged in parallel with the lens advancement axis A (FIGS. 4A and 4B). The slider 3 is at first moved to the advancement direction x in order to release the intraocular lens 5 internally placed in advance to the outside from the front end of the nozzle section 11. In this way, the first abutting portion 21 formed on the front end of the slider 3 is caused to abut against the rear supporting portion 7 a (FIGS. 5A and 5B).

Since the first abutting portion 21 has the slanting surface, the rear supporting portion 7 a is pushed up therealong as the slider 3 is further moved to the advancement direction x (FIGS. 6A and 6B). At the same time, the x-direction abutting surfaces 24 of the second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b are caused to abut against as well as push out the optical part 6, thereby moving the intraocular lens 5 from the lens placement section to the transition section 10. At that time, the outer edge of the optical part 6 is pushed by the inner wall of the transition section 10. Further, the lens pressing member 18 is also pushed by the inner wall of the transition section 10, and is thus caused to push down the surface of the optical part 6 to the direction y. In this way, the optical part 6 of the intraocular lens 5 is valley folded.

Next, as the plunger 4 is moved to the advancement direction x, the front end of such plunger 4 supported by the guiding groove 15 of the slider 3 is caused to abut against the outer edge of the optical part 6 (FIGS. 7A and 7B). The rear supporting portion 7 a pushed up by the first abutting portion 21 is thus caused to deform along the plunger 4 in a manner such that a front end of the rear supporting portion 7 a eventually points to the advancement direction x. In other words, the plunger 4 moves the front end (or “free end”) of the rear supporting portion 7 a over the optical part 6. In this way, the front end of the rear supporting portion 7 a deformed due to the first abutting portion 21, is tucked into the surface of the valley-folded optical part 6 by the plunger 4.

Here, the y-direction abutting surfaces 25 of the second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b are configured to restrict the surface of the optical part 6 in the vicinity of the outer edge thereof from being valley folded, thereby preventing the outer edge of the optical part 6 from interfering with the rear supporting portion 7 a during a deformation process of the rear supporting portion 7 a. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertion device 1 allows the rear supporting portion 7 a to further reliably enter a space formed by the valley-folded surface of the optical part 6, thereby making it possible to further reliably deform the intraocular lens 5 into the given shape. The inner surface of the transition section 10 deforms the free end of the forward supporting portion 7 b toward (and then over) the optical part 6 as the plunger is moved in the advancement direction x.

Further, the restriction portions 23 provided on the first abutting portion 21 serve to prevent the rear supporting portion 7 a from deforming to the direction y. In this sense, the intraocular lens insertion device 1 allows the intraocular lens 5 to be further reliably deformed into the given shape.

Next, by further moving the plunger 4 to the advancement direction x, the intraocular lens 5 is moved from the transition section 10 to the nozzle section 11 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) with the rear supporting portion 7 a and the forward supporting portion 7 b both over the optical part 6 and within the space between the folded portions of the optical part, followed by being released to the outside from the front end of the nozzle section 11 with the intraocular lens 5 itself being folded even smaller.

As described earlier, the intraocular lens insertion device 1 allows the rear supporting portion 7 a to be pushed up by the first abutting portion 21, thereby making it possible to appropriately regulate the motion of the rear supporting portion 7 a during the process of moving the intraocular lens 5 and reduce the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens 5 is inserted into the eye.

Further, since the first abutting portion 21 is provided on the slider 3, the rear supporting portion 7 a is allowed to come into contact with the first abutting portion 21 through a large contact area. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertion device 1 of the present embodiment allows the rear supporting portion 7 a to be further stably deformed, thereby making it possible to further appropriately regulate the rear supporting portion 7 a.

2. Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention is described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the structure of the front end portion of the slider 3. Therefore, same symbols are used to describe the same members as those in the first embodiment, and the descriptions of the corresponding members are thus omitted for the sake of convenience.

According to a slider 30 shown in FIG. 9, at least 22 a of second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b is configured to abut against an outer edge of a section of the optical part 6 between the connecting portion of the rear supporting portion 7 a and the optical part 6, and the lens advancement axis A. Further, this slider 30 has a cutout hole 31 formed on a side surface thereof, such cutout hole 31 allowing the rear supporting portion 7 a to be inserted therethrough inwardly from the outside.

According to the present embodiment having the aforementioned structure, the slider 30 is at first moved to the advancement direction x by gripping operation portions 17. As a result, a first abutting portion 21 formed on a front end of the slider 30 is caused to abut against the rear supporting portion 7 a.

As the slider 30 is further moved to the advancement direction x, the rear supporting portion 7 a is pushed up with x-direction abutting surfaces 24 of the second abutting portion 22 abutting against and pushing out the optical part 6, at the same time, thus allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be moved from a lens placement section to a transition section 10. In this way, the optical part 6 is pushed by an inner wall of the transition section 10, and a surface of the optical part 6 is pushed down to the direction y by means of a lens pressing member 18, thus allowing the optical part 6 to be valley folded (FIGS. 10A and 10B).

Next, as a plunger 4 is moved to the advancement direction x, the front end of such plunger 4 supported by a guiding groove 15 of the slider 3 is caused to abut against the outer edge of the optical part 6 (FIGS. 11A and 11B). The supporting portion 7 pushed up by the first abutting portion 21 is thus caused to deform along the plunger 4 in a manner such that a front end of the supporting portion 7 eventually points to the advancement direction x. In this way, a front end of the supporting portion 7 deformed due to the first abutting portion 21, is tucked into the surface of the valley-folded optical part 6.

Next, by further moving the plunger 4 to the advancement direction x, the intraocular lens 5 is moved from the transition section 10 to a nozzle section 11 (FIGS. 12A and 12B), followed by being released to the outside from a front end of the nozzle section 11 with the intraocular lens 5 itself being folded even smaller.

Due to the aforementioned structure of the present embodiment, the present embodiment, as is the case in the first embodiment, allows the motion of the rear supporting portion 7 a to be appropriately regulated during the process of moving the intraocular lens 5, and reduces the possibility of reoperation being required after the intraocular lens 5 is inserted into the eye.

3. Third Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 13, a slider 40 of the present embodiment includes a first abutting portion 21, second abutting portions 22 a, 22 b and a guiding portion 41 for guiding the optical part 6 to the second abutting portion 22 b. The second abutting portion 22 b is provided on a location opposite to the connecting portion of the rear supporting portion 7 a and the optical part 6, and is configured to be able to abut against the optical part 6 or the outer edge thereof. Further, the second abutting portion 22 b has an x-direction abutting surface 24 and a y-direction abutting surface 25. In contrast, the second abutting portion 22 a only has the x-direction abutting surface 24.

Here, the y-direction abutting surface 25 of the second abutting portion 22 b may be arranged substantially on the same plane as restriction portions 23, or beyond the restriction portions 23 in the direction y. According to the present embodiment, the y-direction abutting surface 25 is arranged on the same plane as the restriction portions 23.

The guiding portion 41 has a slanting surface slanting toward a direction between the advancement direction x and an opposite direction of the direction y. A lower end of the guiding portion 41 is communicated with the y-direction abutting surface 25. Here, a plunger having a shape shown in FIG. 14 can be used as a plunger 44. The plunger 44 includes a forward region 45 with a lens contact portion 46, a side wall 47, a bottom wall 48, and a top wall 49. An indentation 50 has a first lateral side 51 that is open, a second lateral side that is closed by the side wall 47, and an open distal end 52. The indentation 50 is located above, and extends proximally from, the lens contact portion 46. The proximal end of the indentation 50 is defined by a slanted wall 53.

Next, there are described an operation and effect of the slider 40 having the aforementioned structure. The intraocular lens 5 is placed in a lens placement section (not shown) in a manner such that the optical part 6 thereof is arranged in parallel with the lens advancement axis A (FIGS. 15A and 15B). The slider 40 is at first moved to the advancement direction x in order to release such intraocular lens 5 to the outside from a front end of a nozzle section 11. As a result, the first abutting portion 21 formed on a front end of the slider 40 is caused to abut against the rear supporting portion 7 a (FIGS. 16A and 16B).

Since the first abutting portion 21 has a slanting surface, the rear supporting portion 7 a is pushed up therealong as the slider 40 is further moved to the advancement direction x (FIGS. 17A and 17B). At the same time, the guiding portion 41 serves to push down a surface of the optical part 6 to the direction y, thereby guiding the corresponding optical part 6 to the second abutting portion 22 b. As a result, the x-direction abutting surface 24 of the second abutting portion 22 b and the x-direction abutting surface 24 of the second abutting portion 22 a are caused to abut against and then push out the optical part 6, thus allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be moved from the lens placement section to a transition section 10.

Here, the slider 40 allows the optical part 6 to be guided to the second abutting portion 22 b by means of the guiding portion 41, thereby causing the second abutting portion 22 b to further reliably abut against the optical part 6, and thus allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be further reliably pushed out.

In this way, the outer edge of the optical part 6 is pushed by an inner wall of the transition section 10. Further, at that time, a lens pressing member 18 is also pushed by the inner wall of the transition section 10, thus pushing down the surface of the optical part 6 to the direction y. As a result, the optical part 6 of the intraocular lens 5 is valley folded.

Next, as the plunger 44 is moved to the advancement direction x, the front end of such plunger 44 supported by a guiding groove 15 of the slider 40 is caused to abut against the outer edge of the optical part 6 (FIGS. 18A and 18B). The rear supporting portion 7 a pushed up by the first abutting portion 21 is thus caused to deform along the plunger 44 in a manner such that a front end of the rear supporting portion 7 a eventually points to the advancement direction x and a part of the rear supporting portion 7 a is in the indentation 50. In this way, the front end of the rear supporting portion 7 a deformed due to the first abutting portion 21, is enclosed by the valley-folded surface of the optical part 6.

Here, the y-direction abutting surface 25 of the second abutting portion 22 b is configured to restrict the surface of the optical part 6 in the vicinity of the outer edge thereof from being valley folded, thereby preventing the outer edge of the optical part 6 from interfering with the rear supporting portion 7 a during the deformation process of the rear supporting portion 7 a.

Particularly, according to the present embodiment, since the y-direction abutting surface 25 is arranged on the same plane as the restriction portions 23, the outer edge of the optical part 6 is restricted from deforming to the opposite direction of the direction y, particularly, from deforming beyond the restriction portions 23 and the rear supporting portion 7 a deformed due to the first abutting portion 21. In this sense, the slider 40 can further reliably prevent the outer edge of the optical part 6 from interfering with the rear supporting portion 7 a, thereby allowing the intraocular lens 5 to be further reliably deformed into the given shape. The inner surface of the transition section 10 deforms the end of the forward supporting portion 7 b toward (and then over) the optical part 6 as the plunger is moved in the advancement direction x.

Next, by further moving the plunger 44 to the advancement direction x, the intraocular lens 5 is moved from a transition section 10 to a nozzle section 11 (FIGS. 19A and 19B) with the rear supporting portion 7 a and the forward supporting portion 7 b both over the optical part 6 and within the space between the folded portions of the optical part, followed by being released to the outside from a front end of the nozzle section 11 with the intraocular lens 5 itself being folded even smaller.

Since the slider 40 of the present embodiment includes the first abutting portion 21 and the restriction portions 23, there can be achieved the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

4. Modified Embodiment

The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments. As a matter of fact, appropriate modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in each one of the aforementioned embodiments, there are provided two second abutting portions in total. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Particularly, the number of the second abutting portions can be one, three or more than three.

Further, in each one of the aforementioned embodiments, the second abutting portions 22 are provided as a symmetrical pair. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The second abutting portions 22 can actually be provided in an asymmetrical manner. For example, one of the second abutting portions 22 may be formed longer than the other second abutting portion 22 in the advancement direction x, thereby making it possible to slightly rotate the intraocular lens 5 about an optical axis, and thus making it easier to regulate a supporting portion disposed forward.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS

-   1 intraocular lens insertion device -   2 main body -   3 slider -   4 plunger -   5 intraocular lens -   6 optical part -   7 supporting portion -   7 a rear supporting portion -   21 first abutting portion -   22 second abutting portion -   x advancement direction -   y direction (downward direction) -   A lens advancement axis 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method performed by an intraocular lens insertion device on an intraocular lens, the intraocular lens including an optic, a forward haptic having an end and a rear haptic having an end, the insertion device including a nozzle, a transition section and a plunger having a forward region with a side wall and a bottom wall that together define an indentation and is configured to receive a portion of the rear haptic, the method comprising the steps of: pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic; pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic passes over the optic, while the portion of the optic over which the rear haptic passes remains unfolded, with the forward region of the plunger in such a manner that the rear haptic is bent and a portion of the rear haptic is received in the indentation; folding a portion of the optic such that there is a space between folded portions of the optic; and pushing the intraocular lens through the nozzle with the forward region of the plunger while the end of the rear haptic is in the space between the folded portions of the optic.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein folding a portion of the optic comprises folding a portion of the optic with the transition section such that there is a space between folded portions of the optic.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein pushing the intraocular lens through the nozzle comprises pushing the intraocular lens through the nozzle with the forward region of the plunger while the end of the rear haptic is in the space between the folded portions of the optic and the end of the rear haptic faces in a lens travelling direction.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of: bending the forward haptic such that the end of the forward haptic moves into the space between the folded portions of the optic.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intraocular lens insertion device defines a lens travelling axis; and the method further comprises the step of storing the lens in the insertion device with the optic parallel to the lens travelling axis and the rear haptic positioned at a different angle than the forward haptic relative to the lens travelling axis.
 6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intraocular lens insertion device defines a lens travelling axis; and pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic comprises pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic while the end of the rear haptic is on a surface that is not parallel to the lens travelling axis.
 7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion device includes a slider that is movable relative to the plunger; and pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic comprises pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic with the slider.
 8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intraocular lens insertion device defines a lens travelling axis; the insertion device includes a slider with an abutting portion that is slanted relative to the lens travelling axis and that is movable relative to the plunger; and pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic comprises pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic with the abutting portion of the slider.
 9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion device includes a slider that is movable relative to the plunger; and folding a portion of the optic comprises pushing a portion of the optic into the transition section with the slider.
 10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the slider includes a pivotable lens pressing member; and folding a portion of the optic comprises pushing a portion of the optic into the transition section while the pivotable lens pressing member engages the portion of the optic.
 11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intraocular lens insertion device defines a lens travelling axis; the insertion device includes a slider that is movable relative to the plunger, the slider having a first abutting portion that is slanted relative to the lens travelling axis and a pair of second abutting portions located on opposite sides of the lens travelling axis; pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic comprises pushing the rear haptic such that the end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic with the first abutting portion of the slider before the second abutting portions contact the optic; and folding a portion of the optic comprises pushing a portion of the optic into the transition section with the second abutting portions.
 12. A method performed by an intraocular lens insertion device on an intraocular lens, the intraocular lens including an optic, a forward haptic having a free end and a rear haptic having a free end, the insertion device including a nozzle, a transition section and a plunger, the method comprising the steps of: moving the free end of the rear haptic, from a position rearward of the optic, over the optic and into a space between folded portions of the optic with the plunger; moving the free end of the forward haptic into the space between the folded portions of the optic with the transition section; and pushing the intraocular lens with the plunger through the nozzle with the free ends of the forward and rear haptics in the space between the folded portions of the optic.
 13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the optic is folded with the transition section of the insertion device.
 14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of: prior to folding the optic, pushing the rear haptic such that the free end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic.
 15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the insertion device includes a slider, and the plunger is movable relative to the slider; and pushing the rear haptic such that the free end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic comprises pushing the rear haptic such that the free end of the rear haptic moves upwardly and forwardly relative to the optic with the slider.
 16. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein moving the free end of the forward haptic comprises bending the forward haptic into the space between the folded portions of the optic with an inner surface of the transition section as the intraocular lens moves toward the nozzle. 